The present invention relates to a removable handle mechanism, and more particularly, to a removable handle for caskets.
The manufacturer of casket furniture faces peculiar problems. His products are used only once and then burnt or buried, so that logic dictates they should be of the cheapest and most ephemeral kind. But the mores of (at least) Western contemporary society have, for quite sometime, required funerary furnishings to be of a quality proportional to the status of the deceased party.
It is common practice, in the casket industry, to use handles that are not removable. The reason is that the weight of the casket requires strong handles to be used. These handles are either integral with the casket or they are bolted from the inside of the casket.
Another criteria discerning in the choice of handles in the casket industry is their aesthetic look. The handle design must be in good taste. Thus, it is readily apparent that cheap-looking removable handles would be unacceptable for most clients.
An object of the present invention is to achieve almost contradicting demands for casket handles. Namely, to secure the handles from the inside of the casket for more solidity and, to provide removable handles such as to facilitate the casket""s incineration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a reusable and resistant handle for a casket.
More precisely, the above mentioned objects of the present invention are met with a removable handle mechanism, comprising:
at least one anchorage having a front and a back side, the back side adapted to be fixedly secured to a surface, each of the at least one anchorage further having two opposite ends,
at least one removable support adapted to mate with the front side of each of the at least one anchorage;
a lock for locking each of the at least one support on the front side of each of said at least one anchorage; and
a handle pivotally connected to each of the at least one support.
In an alternative preferred embodiment, the anchorage may be integrally formed with the surface thereby forming a receiving surface.
An advantage of the invention is that it allows repeated use of the handles once a casket is buried or incinerated.
Another advantage of the invention is that the handle mechanism is strong enough to withstand the weight of the casket.
A further advantage of the invention is that the handle is easily removable and has a feature that prevents the handle from falling down while removing it from the casket.